Further floods sap spirit of reeling town

Silt and mud surrounds a home on Short Street, Laidley, where flood waters have devastated the town. Photo: Michelle Smith

IN THE main street of Laidley, locals walk slowly, disbelief written across their faces as they peer into the dirty glass windows of their local stores.

Two years ago, this tight-knit town in the Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane, threw itself into a post-flood clean-up with gusto. Community spirit and morale was high as locals vowed to rebuild their lives and reclaim their homes and businesses.

They took out second mortgages, spent their superannuations and drained their savings accounts repairing the damage of 2011.

Some, crumpled by the emotional and financial pressure of losing everything they owned, left Laidley permanently - but most stayed, buoyed by the community support and determination to put the past behind them. The future was bright, they said, and they spent most of the year putting their lives back together.

But today locals are weary. Never did they imagine they'd be faced with an even more devastating clean-up only two years later.

They're shell-shocked, exhausted and overwhelmed; they're cleaning up but not sure they'll rebuild. The prospect is daunting, frightening and, in some cases, financially impossible.

Wendy Linsley, a long-term resident of Napier Street, one of Laidley's lowest-lying areas, can't sleep at night and is constantly on the brink of tears.

''I can't handle this any more,'' she said. ''Living with the fear of this happening any time … it's too much. I have to leave … but I have nowhere to go.''

After 2011, when she had no insurance, Ms Linsley and her partner and their son Beau rebuilt their house, their business and their lives slowly, piece by donated piece. But last Sunday night, the river adjoining their property rose and came rushing towards their house once more, hitting their shed with such force it lifted it off the concrete slab.

Furniture that was replaced brought in two years ago was destroyed in seconds, swallowed under a metre of stinking mud.

Ms Linsley is shattered. ''Can you believe this? Again? I'm desperate to stay in Laidley - this is our home, our community - but I can't face this house,'' she said.

''I'm so tired. Everyone is so tired. It's very difficult to gather the energy to start all over again, so soon - but I guess we don't have a choice.

''We have a mortgage here, so it's not like we can afford to go and rent somewhere else, although that's exactly what I feel like doing: locking up the house, walking away and renting somewhere in Laidley that doesn't flood.''

The owners of the Eagle Rock Cafe on Laidley's main street, Gary and Denise Morris, are worried for the town.

''Everyone is so scared,'' Mrs Morris said. ''It's just too much and some of them will never come back; it's too devastating for them. Yes, many will rally through but there'll be a lot more this time who leave.

''Emotionally the town will take a long time to recover from this and who knows? There could be another flood before they do. That's the thing now, that's what's so terrifying for people: the thought that this could happen again at any time.''

The Morris' cafe was inundated in 2011 and when they rebuilt, the couple decided to throw everything they owned into the business. They opened their doors only 12 months ago.

''This is our superannuation,'' Mr Morris said. ''We wanted to make a proper go of it, but this is what has happened. We have no choice but to keep going. It's hard but we have to.''

Next door, the owners of the Chinese restaurant are stunned. Tony Hueng and his family opened their doors only six months ago.

''We knew it flooded in 2011 when we took over the lease,'' Mr Hueng said. ''But we never thought it would happen again. Not this soon.''

Many in the town are angry at the Lockyer Valley Regional Council. They feel marginalised, neglected and largely ignored by their elected councillors, who they say have put all their energies into other towns, such as Grantham or Gatton.

''I know they've all been through a lot but we're suffering here too,'' said Barry Seipel, a local volunteer. ''There's only so much that people can take before they break.

''We've had suicides around here already and that was before this time … there's a lot more the council could be doing to try and fix the problem, like a levee.

''It's the unknown that's the worst. Living with the uncertainty of when it's going to happen again is horrific.